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Inbox: Will the Yankees add Drew or Rodney?

Beat reporter Bryan Hoch responds to fans' offseason questions

Masahiro Tanaka enters MLB as a potential ace with a marvelous resume, ending '13 in Japan with a 24-0 record and a 183-to-32 K-to-BB ratio

By Bryan Hoch
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MLB.com |

When we last saw Yankee Stadium, there was a hockey rink covering the diamond, and on Monday, there's snow piling up in the outfield. But down in Tampa, Fla., players are roaming the team complex, and we're just 11 days away from the official report date for pitchers and catchers. In the meantime, let's take another dig into the Yankees Inbox:

You can make a solid case that they would be nice finishing touches to the roster makeover, but so far, it does not sound like the Yankees are going to begin the year with either player. The Yanks continue to send up smoke signals that their big winter spending is done, and that the Masahiro Tanaka signing emptied out what was left of the budget.

The Yankees have been cool on Drew for quite some time now, even as they have legitimate question marks at every infield position. Scott Boras, Drew's agent, has said that Drew would be willing to play second base or third base; he'd fit at the hot corner, where Kelly Johnson is penciled in right now, but the Yanks don't like the price.

As for Rodney, the Yankees' bullpen still feels unfinished behind the crew paced by David Robertson, Shawn Kelley and Matt Thornton. Rodney would add power to that mix, but people familiar with the club's thinking have been saying not to expect any substantial moves between now and the beginning of Spring Training because -- again -- the money has been spent.

I do believe those people are speaking at face value and not trying to mislead, but consider this: Hal Steinbrenner could always decide to stretch the budget. One such example came in January 2012, when general manager Brian Cashman was believed to be out of spending money but convinced Steinbrenner to authorize $10 million more to bring in Hiroki Kuroda. Stranger things have happened.

If Brian Roberts struggles at the plate, is there any chance Alfonso Soriano could be asked to move back to second base?
-- Matt G., Spring Arbor, Mich.

I don't see this as an option, and I'm told it is something that has not been discussed within the Yankees' hierarchy. It has been a long time since Soriano played second base -- he hasn't been there at all since 2009, and hasn't played the position regularly since '05. He's also 38 years old.

I've mentioned this before, but Soriano said last year that he would occasionally wander to second base for batting practice when he was with the Cubs, just to see what it looked like. Given the speed of the rockets flying by him, Soriano said that he was amazed that he had ever been able to play the position.

What are the chances of the Yankees pursuing Bronson Arroyo, even with the acquisition of Tanaka?
-- David H., Buffalo, N.Y.

It seems like it was one or the other there. If Tanaka hadn't signed in New York, I would have expected the Yankees to be hot and heavy with pretty much the whole remaining crop of free-agent starters. Arroyo seems to be having a tough time drumming up the three-year deal he's looking for, and the Yanks are comfortable with the idea of having a Spring Training battle to fill the fifth starter's job. Michael Pineda, David Phelps and Adam Warren will lead the pack there.

What are your thoughts of Derek Jeter playing next year?
-- Ebe A., Jersey City, N.J.

I think everyone, Jeter included, is taking a wait-and-see approach until after we know how 2014 will work out. He's facing an uphill battle as he prepares to turn 40 this June, and I don't think it's a stretch to say that if he endures another "nightmare" year (17 games, four DL stints, .190 batting average), Jeter would not want to tarnish his legacy and risk further injuries by continuing to push himself.

That's a worst-case scenario, and in my mind's eye, I can already feel Jeter glaring. So what if Jeter comes back and shuts up the critics, as he did in 2012 (.316 average, 216 hits, 159 games played)? I think Jeter wants to have the choice of playing in 2015, but it was telling that he didn't ask the Yankees for a two-year contract; a one-year deal and a pay bump over his player option was enough to work out an agreement.

Jeter has always said that as long as he continues to have fun and can be consistent, he wants to be in the lineup. If he can play at an acceptable level in 2014, I think the door is wide open for 2015, and he's prepared to work -- the blurry iPhone photos popping onto Twitter from Tampa are evidence of that. But it is interesting that Jeter isn't hiding that he has given thought to what will come after his last inning; the book publishing and frozen food ventures seem to be acknowledgments that he is much closer to the end than the beginning.

Mark Teixeira always starts slow and now has a tender wrist. With the shift they put up, shouldn't he try for bunts more often to help out?
-- Tom, Lafayette, Ind.

You'd think that a guaranteed hit would be appealing -- remember last September, when Robinson Cano legged out a bunt double at Fenway Park? -- but Teixeira has argued that the Yankees are paying him to hit for power, not to drop down bunts. Manager Joe Girardi said that he's fine with that, since apparently Teixeira doesn't feel that he can be successful doing it. Teixeira wouldn't exactly be the only big leaguer who doesn't feel comfortable bunting. I'll maintain that it wouldn't hurt to try it now and then, but I'm not the one who has to stand in the box and try to square up on Justin Verlander.

Do you think now that Joe Torre is being inducted in the Hall of Fame, they will retire some numbers this summer?
-- Greg S., Syracuse, N.Y.

It's a good bet that we'll see at least one, Torre's No. 6. Hal Steinbrenner hinted last month that some more of the dynasty Yankees could be on tap, saying, "We're going to figure out just who. [Torre] may not be the only one."

Now that Mariano Rivera's No. 42 is in Monument Park, it's easy to point to the next likely suspects. Jorge Posada's No. 20 and Andy Pettitte's No. 46 should be fair game, and no one has worn Bernie Williams' No. 51. The Yanks briefly put Paul O'Neill's No. 21 back into circulation in 2008 before fan outcry changed those plans.

Given the group they can choose from, it sounds like the setup for what could be a very fun day in the Bronx.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.